Have we overcome the Curse of Mars?
October 10, 1960, is a date that very few people remember, yet it was precisely that
day sixty years ago that marked the beginning of the great epic of space exploration towards
Mars.
After flying over the Moon in 1959 and photographing its hidden side with the probe Luna 3, the
Soviet Union turned all its scientific and industrial power towards the Red Planet, considered
the most similar to the Earth in view of future colonization.
And it was the beginning of a real siege.
The Soviets went on the attack first, and it was a massacre of probes!
It will take as many as ten years before we see the Soviet Union flag waving on Mars.
But beaten on time by the United States.
This first series of resounding failures began to instill the idea that Mars had something
"cursed" or even that the hypothetical inhabitants of the planet somehow managed to sabotage
the launches and the success of the missions.
Then things started to improve slightly, as you can see from the small statistics we have
prepared for you by counting the number of failed missions compared to those launched,
with the relative percentage of failures.
But why is it so difficult to land on Mars?
And what can be true in the legend of the "curse of Mars"?
Before answering these questions it will be useful to go over mission by mission all the
attempts to land on the Red Planet, with the dates and reasons for any failures.
Are you ready for this exciting space ride?
October 10, 1960: from Baikonur cosmodrome, the USSR launches Mars 1.
It is expected that the spacecraft will fly over the planet, but a failure in the second
stage of the rocket vector prevents the mission to reach Earth orbit.
1/1 100% failures.
October 14, 1960: the USSR tries again a few days later with the Mars 2 probe, but its
fate is identical to that of its twin Mars 1: rocket malfunction and destruction before
reaching Earth orbit.
2/2 100% failures.
October 24, 1962: two years pass and the Soviets try again with Sputnik 22.
The mission is always the same: to fly over and photograph the surface of Mars.
This time things go a little better... before exploding together with the probe, the fourth
stage of the rocket is able to reach Earth's orbit...
3/3 100% failures.
November 1, 1962: another Mars 1 is launched for an overflight at 11000 km from the surface.
This time everything seems to be working... the spacecraft is put on course towards Mars
and is followed until March 21, 1963, when, at 106 million kilometers from Earth, the
signal stops abruptly.
4/4 100% failures.
November 4, 1962: this time the Soviets change strategy and launch Sputnik 24 with the intent
to have it laid on the surface of Mars.
It is in practice the first Martian lander.
Too bad that everything ends up in pieces just before the orbit towards the red planet.
5/5 100% failures.
November 5, 1964: this time the U.S. tries to launch Mariner 3.
They also try to fly over Mars, but one hour after the launch, with the spacecraft now
on course toward the planet, the technicians realize that the solar panels have not opened!
The batteries run out and the signal is lost.
6/6 100% failures.
November 28, 1964: again the USA with the Mariner 4, and this time the shot succeeds!
On July 14, 1965, the spacecraft flies over Mars 9800 km away from the surface and sends
to Earth the first photos of the red planet.
6/7 86% failures.
November 30, 1964: two days after the launch of Mariner 4, the Soviet Union tries again
with the Zond 2, putting the two spacecraft in competition.
The Mariner, as we have seen, made it, while the Zond lost contact in May due to a failure
of the solar panels.
7 /8 88% failures.
February 25, 1969: the race to the Moon takes resources away from the interplanetary missions
and only 5 years later the USA tries again with Mariner 4, with Mariner 6.
And it is another success: the spacecraft passes on July 31 at 3400 km from the surface
of Mars.
7/9 78% failures.
March 27, 1969: also the USSR wakes up and relaunches the game...
Try to send a probe in orbit around Mars!
It's called Mars 1969A, but a third stage malfunction makes the mission fail immediately.
8/10 80% failures.
March 27, 1969: the same day of the disaster of the Mars 2, the USA launch with success
the Mariner 7, that the 5 August 1969, passes to 3400 km from the martian surface.
8/11 73% of failures.
April 2, 1969: the USSR does not surrender and tries again to send an orbiter around
Mars.
It is the Mars 1969B, that however explodes little on the launch pad after just 41 seconds
from the launch.
9/12 75% failures.
May 9, 1971: also the USA dares to send an orbiter to Mars.
Its name is Mariner 8.
A flaw in the carrier rocket will drop it into the Atlantic Ocean after a few minutes
of flight.
10/13 77% failures.
May 10, 1971: the USSR launches the Kosmos 419, another orbiter.
It is launched in competition with the American orbiter Mariner 8 and 9 to become the first
satellite of Mars.
Unfortunately, the race ends immediately and the probe is lost during the launch.
11/14 79% failures.
May 19, 1971: finally the Soviets manage to reach Mars!
And they do it with magic (we have to admit it, the Russians have always been more original
than the Americans in their missions), that is to launch an orbiter (Mars 2) able then
to bring down a lander on the surface!
Unfortunately, the mission is only half successful because the lander crashes on the surface
on November 27, 1971.
12/16 75% failures.
May 28, 1971: the USSR makes even the en Plein!
Launches the Mars 3 mission, once again formed by an orbiter and a lander, and both probes
are successful!
They arrive on Mars on December 2, 1971, and the first one enters in orbit, while the second
one goes down quite gently on the surface, even if the communications will be lost after
only 14 seconds from touchdown.
The mission also proposes another novelty: the presence of a small rover that is tied
to a leash should explore the terrain in a radius of 15 meters around the lander.
Unfortunately, the sandstorm that rages in those very days damages the equipment of both
the lander and the rover, which will never know if it was able to move.
13/19 68% failures.
May 30, 1971: The USA launches Mariner 9 and on November 14, 1971, finally succeed to put
a probe in martian orbit.
13/20 65% of failures.
July 21, 1973: the Soviet Union launches the Mars 4 orbiter, that for the failure of two
computers onboard is found in the impossibility to make corrections of course.
It fails the Mars orbit on February 10, 1974.
14/21 67% failures.
July 25, 1973: still the USSR launches the Mars 5 orbiter, which enters Martian orbit
on February 12, 1974, with the contacts that are lost after only 5 days.
15/22 68% of failures.
August 5, 1973: the USSR launches Mars 6, a probe that will have to make a flyby with
Mars and then release a lander.
The spacecraft arrives on Mars on March 3, 1974, but the lander crashes on the surface.
16/24 67% failures.
August 9, 1973: same fate for the twin Mars 7, which arrives on Mars on March 3, 1974.
Releases the lander but missing the planet ending up in orbit around the Sun.
17/26 65% of failures.
August 20, 1975: complete success for the USA launching the Viking1 mission, consisting
of an orbiter and a lander.
The probe enters into orbit on June 19, 1976, while the lander descends to the surface on
July 20.
17/28 61% failures.
September 9, 1975: the twin probe Viking2, with the same configuration, also departs.
The orbiter arrives on August 7, 1976, while the lander goes down on September 3.
Two historical missions.
17/30 57% failures.
July 7, 1988: the USSR has extraordinary ideas, but rarely succeeds in realizing them.
The mission Phobos 1, consisting of an orbiter and a lander to be lowered even on Phobos,
the largest moon of Mars.
On September 2, however, a wrong command sent by a technician to Earth misaligns the solar
panels, the batteries are discharged and contacts are lost.
18/31 58% failures.
July 2, 1988: the twin sister Phobos 2 also leaves, with the same mission as the previous
one.
The probe arrives in Martian orbit on January 29, 1989, and manages to take some close images
of Phobos.
However, contacts are lost when the lander is released.
19/32 59% failures.
September 25, 1992: after 21 years since the last failure (Mariner 8), the U.S. fails the
Mars Observer mission.
Three days before the release into Martian orbit, on August 21, 1993, radio contact is
lost.
20/33 61% failures.
November 7, 1996: the U.S. launch the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter, which enters into
Martian orbit on September 11, 1997.
It will remain operational until 2006.
20/34 59% failures.
November 16, 1996: the Soviet Union no longer exists for years, and it is now Russia to
launch its first probe to Mars, Mars 96.
It's an ambitious mission, which involves the arrival on Mars of an orbiter and surface
stations with penetrators.
None of this is realized because the rocket launcher explodes shortly after the launch.
21/34 62% failures.
December 4, 1996: the USA launch the Mars Pathfinder mission, formed by the Pathfinder
lander and the Sojourner rover.
The Pathfinder lands on Mars on July 4, 1997, the rover remains operational until September
27.
21/36 58% failures.
July 3, 1998: also Japan with the Nozomi spacecraft, destined to orbit Mars after a complicated
gravitational assists tour.
Its arrival was scheduled for October 11, 1999, but remained without fuel it wanders
around in search of other planetary assists (it has two more with Earth) to meet Mars
in another point of its orbit.
The mission was abandoned on December 14, 2003, after a 5-year odyssey.
22/37 59% failures.
December 11, 1998: the USA launch the Mars Climate Orbiter.
that arrives on Mars on September 23, 1999.
However, the orbital insertion does not succeed because the probe is made to go down by mistake
up to an altitude of 57 km, where it is destroyed by friction.
The cause of the disaster, incredibly, is due to the fact that different onboard software
was processing data in different units of measurement!
Maybe the legend of the "Curse of Mars" grows stronger with this mission.
23/38 61% of failures.
January 3, 1999: the USA try again with the Mars Polar Lander.
The probe arrives on Mars on December 3, 1999, but contacts are lost just before landing.
24/39 62% failures.
April 7, 2001: the USA launches the Mars Odyssey, which regularly enters into Martian orbit
on October 24, 2001.
A mission of great success... the orbiter is still operative.
24/40 60% failures.
June 2, 2003: first martian mission for Europe.
ESA launches the Mars Express, an orbiter that arrives on Mars on Christmas Day 2003.
Also, this one is still fully operational today.
Onboard of the probe there is also the English lander Beagle 2, whose traces will be lost
just after the start of the descent.
25/42 60% failures.
June 10, 2003: the USA launch the Mars Exploration Rover - A mission, with the Spirit rover onboard.
Spirit is on the sands of Mars on January 4, 2004, and remains operational until 2010!
25/43 58% failures.
July 8, 2003: The USA launch the twin mission Mars Exploration Rover - B, with onboard the
rover Opportunity.
The surface landing on Mars on January 25, 2004, and the rover remains operational until
2018! 25/44 57% failures.
August 12, 2005: The United States launches the Mars Reconnaissance mission, which reaches
Mars on January 10, 2006.
The orbiter is still operational!
24/45 53% of failures.
August 4, 2007: the American mission Phoenix starts, with a lander that gently descends
on Mars on May 25, 2008.
24/46 52% failures.
November 8, 2011: after 15 years of silence Russia gets back into the game and launches
the ambitious Phobos-Grunt mission.
The probe should even descend on Phobos and then bring back to Earth soil samples.
The Russians want to amaze the world, but unfortunately, the mission fails due to the
lack of ignition of the engine that should have put the probe on course to Mars.
25/47 53% failures.
November 26, 2011: the U.S. launch the Mars Science Laboratory mission with the rover
Curiosity onboard.
The rover lands on Mars on August 6, 2012, and is still operational!
25/48 52% failures.
November 5, 2013: India is also in the race for Mars and launches the Mars Orbiter Mission.
The probe enters the Martian orbit on September 24, 2014, and is still operational.
25/49 51% failures.
November 18, 2013: the U.S. launches the MAVEN orbiter that will reach the Martian orbit
on September 21, 2014.
Currently operational.
25/50 50% failures.
March 14, 2016: Europe and Russia in collaboration launch the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission.
Onboard also carries the Schiaparelli lander.
The orbiter reaches the Martian orbit on October 19, 2016, and is still operational.
The lander crashes on the surface.
26/52 50% failures.
March 5, 2018: The U.S. launches the InSight mission, a lander that lands on the surface
of Mars on November 26, 2018.
Currently operational.
26/53 49% failures.